THE ORGANIZATION
The Center for Court Innovation is committed to reducing crime and incarceration, addressing violence, supporting survivors, and building communities while strengthening public trust in justice. The Center seeks justice for marginalized groups, bringing an equity lens – particularly a racial and gender equity lens – to its work. For 25 years, the Center has worked to foster justice and equity to create safe, healthy, and thriving communities and, ultimately, to transform the justice system.
The Center is an 800-employee, $100 million nonprofit that accomplishes its vision through three pillars of work: creating and scaling operating programs to test new ideas and solve problems, performing original research to determine what works (and what doesn’t), and providing expert assistance and policy guidance to justice reformers around the world.
Operating Programs
The Center’s operating programs, including the award-winning Red Hook Community Justice Center and Midtown Community Court, test new ideas, solve difficult problems, and attempt to achieve systemic change within the justice system. Our projects include community-based violence prevention programs, alternatives to incarceration, reentry initiatives, and court-based initiatives that reduce the use of unnecessary incarceration and promote positive individual and family change. Through this programming, we have produced tangible results like safer streets, reduced incarceration, and improved neighborhood perceptions of justice.
Research
The Center's research teams are staffed with social scientists, data analysts, and lawyers who are academically-trained or have lived experience and who conduct research in the U.S. and globally on diverse criminal-legal system and justice issues. Their work includes evaluating programs and policies; conducting exploratory, community-based studies; and providing research translation and strategic planning for system actors. The Center has published studies on topics including court and jail reform, intimate partner violence, restorative justice, gun violence, reentry, sixth amendment rights, and progressive prosecution. The research teams strive to make their work meaningful and actionable to the communities they work with, policymakers, and practitioners.
Policy & Expert Assistance
The Center provides hands-on, planning and implementation assistance to a wide range of jurisdictions in areas of reform such as problem-solving courts (e.g., community courts, treatment courts, domestic violence courts), tribal justice, reducing incarceration and the use of fines/fees and reducing crime and violence. Our current expert assistance takes many forms, including help with analyzing data, strategic planning and consultation, policy guidance, and hosting site visits to its operating programs in the New York City area.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Red Hook Community Justice Center is the nation’s first multi-jurisdictional community court, hearing criminal, housing and family matters under one roof with a single judge. The Justice Center’s mission is to solve community problems: strengthening families, assisting court-involved youth, preventing evictions, addressing harm when it occurs and working to prevent harm before it takes place. Those with cases in court are sentenced to community restitution and linked to a full range of on-site and community-based social services, including drug treatment, mental health services, family mediation, GED, and domestic violence intervention.
The Red Hook Community Justice Center is seeking an Opportunity Specialist for a new community initiative, Level Up. Housed with the Department of Youth and Community Initiatives and reporting to the Program Coordinator, the Opportunity Specialist will be part of a collaborative team to engage individuals with workforce development.
Level Up provides financial literacy and employment readiness services to improve economic mobility to adults. Participants will gain vocational support through hands-on skill training and one-on-one support. Services are 100% voluntary and focus on reaching participants from the Red Hook, Brooklyn community.
The Opportunity Specialist will support participant engagement activities, including conducting recruitment and outreach, leading facilitation of employment readiness workshops, intakes, training and financial literacy. They will develop relationships with participants, engaging them in employment readiness and assisting with their professional development. In this role, the Specialist will also assist with implementing employment strategies to complement ongoing work readiness learning initiatives for Red Hook community residents.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Lead employment and career readiness services through weekly in-person group facilitation and individualized mentoring sessions;
- Lead in-person group sessions focused on employment readiness with an emphasis on resume/cover letter writing, computer training, interview skills, job search preparation skills and retention, and financial literacy;
- Recruit and conduct regular outreach to participants to build relationships and ensure continued engagement in services;
- Engage groups of local community members ages 18+ and guide them through the workshops and services;
- Provide one-on-one mentoring with participants, complete job readiness assessments and track progress towards employment/financial goals;
- Assist with identifying, engaging, and tracking potential internship, job training and job placement sites;
- Provide advocacy, outreach, and referrals to connect participants to service providers and other programs that have resources to offer;
- Participate in upkeep of data collection protocols, including writing case notes, workshop attendance, tracking participant progress and planned next steps to support participant goals;
- Attend community meetings and events to support recruitment;
- Other relevant duties, as assigned.
Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have an Associate’s Degree and/or experience in a position directly related to working with diverse communities, community engagement and group facilitation. This exciting position requires a creative self-starter who can accomplish tasks in a fast-paced environment. This position requires a flexible schedule with regular evening and weekend hours. Candidates should be credible messengers, specially trained adults from Red Hook with backgrounds and characteristics similar to the population served, including life experience, cultural competence, and criminal justice system familiarity. Experience with restorative justice frameworks, individual counseling, preferred.
Position Type: Part-time (21 hours/week), in-person at the Red Hook Community Justice Center and must be able to work a flexible schedule with regular evening and/or weekend hours.
Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $24.36 - $29.24 per hour based on a 35-hour work week and is commensurate with experience. This position is eligible for overtime at 1.5x the hourly rate above 40 hours per week. The Center for Court Innovation offers an excellent benefits package including comprehensive healthcare with a national network, free basic dental coverage, vision insurance, short-term and long-term disability, life insurance, and flexible spending accounts including commuter FSA. We prioritize mental health care for our staff and offer services like Talkspace and Ginger through our healthcare plans. We offer a 403(b) retirement plan with a two-to-one employer contribution up to 5%.
The Center for Court Innovation is an equal opportunity employer. The Center does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, national origin, age, military service eligibility, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or any other category protected by law. We strongly encourage and seek applications from women, people of color, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities as well as individuals with prior contact with the criminal justice system.
As of September 9, 2021, all new hires are required to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, unless they have been granted a reasonable accommodation for medical, disability or religious reasons by the Center’s Human Resources Department.
In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete an employment eligibility verification document form upon hire. Only applicants under consideration will be contacted. No phone calls please.